Notes

Critics were asked to list 10 albums in descending order, with
10 points awarded for their #1, 9 for #2, etc. (On ballots where
choices were listed alphabetically, each received 5.5 points.) The
first bold number indicates total points; the number in parentheses is
the tally of ballots on which a CD appeared, which was used as a
tiebreaker.

The Pollmaster decided to treat the top two albums as a tie for
his
essay at NPR: they did, after all, wind up with the same number of
points. However, the traditional point tie-breaker in this poll is
the number of votes, and that is applied above. The tie-breaker
gives Bird Calls an edge over The Thompson Fields.
The tie-breaker is applied further down in the NPR list.

There was some confusion about whether several records should
be slotted as "new" or "historical" and received votes in both
categories. These were:

Charlie Haden & Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Tokyo Adagio (Impulse!)

Brad Mehldau: 10 Years Solo Live (Nonesuch)

Both records received 2 points in the reissues/historical category,
but should have been considered as "new": Tokyo Adagio was cut
in 2005, while 10 Years Solo Live was mostly recorded later.
Accordingly, 2 points and one vote have been arbitrarily added to the
new vote total of each. (In the NPR standings, this was done for
Tokyo Adagio but not for 10 Years Solo Live.)

The only other record to receive votes both as "new" and "historical"
(one each) was Ernestine Anderson, Swings the Penthouse (HighNote),
which was recorded in 1962, and as such clearly belongs under "historical."
Well down the list, we let those votes stand. (Anderson also received
one vote for Vocal. The Pollmaster never clearly ruled on whether Vocal,
Latin Jazz, or for that matter Debut, albums had to be "new" -- so we've
let those votes stand as well.)